SCOTLAND assistant John Carver has predicted that national manager Steve Clarke will remain loyal to the players who secured Euro 2024 qualification.
Clarke has been urged to call up Newcastle United quartet Elliott Anderson, Harvey Barnes, Anthony Gordon and Tino Livramento, who are all eligible to play for this country, by many members of the Tartan Army ahead of this summer’s tournament in Germany.
However, Carver does not anticipate anyone who has not featured in the past being named in the final 23 man squad ahead of the Group A matches against Germany, Switzerland and Hungary in June.
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“I think we are almost settled on what we are going to take away,” he said. “I would be very surprised if somebody comes out from nowhere. We are more or less settled.
“I am not going to go down this street of Anderson and Gordon and all this lot because I have had enough of that, I am sick of talking about that. If somebody comes from nowhere I would be very surprised.
“We are looking at all the options for now and obviously for the future because we have to take it further again after the Euros. Unless we find somebody who is like ‘wow’, an outstanding player. But I would be very surprised because loyalty is massive.”
Clarke has been unable to pick Aaron Hickey of Brentford, Ryan Jack of Rangers and Callum McGregor of Celtic for the international friendlies against the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Friday and Northern Ireland in Glasgow on Tuesday because the trio are all injured.
Grant Hanley of Norwich City pulled out of the squad yesterday due to an ankle problem while Scott McKenna of Copenhagen did not take part in the training session at Lesser Hampden after suffering a knock at the weekend.
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“We have to give everyone as long as possible,” he said. “I think it is important to give these guys who have been loyal and faithful and who have done really well for this national team an opportunity to be in that squad of 23. You have to give everyone an opportunity.
“I am sure when it comes to the tournament we won’t go into it thinking, ‘Hmm, we are not sure yet’. We are not going to take a player who is not confirmed as fit and who has possibly been playing because then you are taking a risk with one player.
“And in a tournament where you are playing so often it can backfire on you if you do not have a group of players who can take care of the whole tournament.”
Carver added: “I will use Grant as an example. If he feels he is not up to it I think he is honest enough to say, ‘You know what Steve, I don’t think I am fit enough for tournament football’.
“I think he is honest enough. I think that is what Steve has created within the group, that honesty. We are honest and straight with them and we think they will be honest and straight with us. I think he already has the trust.
“And obviously we are observing all the time. We can see it. We have the data. The guys will give us all the data, where they are and how many minutes they have been playing.
“Graeme Jones, the performance director, will speak to all the clubs from a physical point of view to see where they are. The evidence will be there.
“Grant is such an honest guy that he is not going to go there half fit because he knows he will be letting the team down and letting Scotland down. He won’t do that.”
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